BILLS JEOPARDIZE PRESERVATION EFFORT

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 31, 1992                   TAG: 9201310203
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
BILLS JEOPARDIZE PRESERVATION EFFORT
Bills introduced in the General Assembly this week would abolish the state Department of Historic Resources and jeopardize the recent state and national registration of landmarks, according to the Preservation Alliance of Virginia.
Five new bills bring "a grave threat" to the state's heritage, reported the alliance, a private consortium of 160 organizations representing 40,000 people.
The legislation would fold the Historic Resources Department into the state library system.
Landmarks such as Mount Vernon and Monticello and historic districts such as Roanoke's Old Southwest, the market area of Roanoke and Old Town Alexandria - designated within the last 25 years - could be removed from state and national registers by current owners, under the proposals.
Two bills would in effect bring the state's program of landmark designation to a standstill, according to the alliance.
David J. Brown, executive director of the alliance, said the bills are backed by development interests that have a stated agenda of eliminating the state's preservation program.
The bills were introduced in reaction to complaints by property owners at Civil War battlefield sites that historic designation reduced their property value, Brown said.
A 1991 study by the Historic Resources Department, based on data from commissioners of revenue and assessors, showed "no discernible impact on property values from historic designation," he said.
If these bills are passed, Brown said, Virginia probably would lose more than $600,000 in federal matching funds for preservation.
Also, he said, pass-through grants to local governments would be eliminated and programs such as the federal tax credits for rehabilitation would be threatened. The tax credit program has spurred more than $300 million in private investment in the state's historic resources, Brown said.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB